VOICE OF THE TRAVELER

Underrated Milwaukee JACKSONVILLE--[Re: "Milwaukee...

July 24, 2005

Underrated Milwaukee

JACKSONVILLE--[Re: "Milwaukee: Back to the future"; June 19] I lived there not too long ago and found it to be an underrated city. Your contrast between Old and New Milwaukee reminded me of one of my favorite Old Milwaukee stories. In the movie "Kicking and Screaming" (the original with Eric Stoltz, not the Will Ferrell flick), the recent college graduates are sitting around thinking about the worst after-grad plans. One sad guy, headed to the Cream City for grad school, dejectedly says, "Live in Milwaukee. Live in Milwaukee."

But not anymore.

--Beth Kormanik

Heading home

PLAINFIELD--Thank you for your wonderful article on Milwaukee. I'm from Milwaukee [but] moved to the west suburbs about two years ago--and am in the process of moving back to Milwaukee (once I sell my townhome). The reason . . . well, your article explains it. Milwaukee is a wonderful city with lots of potential.

Two years ago I was dying to get out. Now I'm dying to get back in. Give Milwaukee a visit, especially during (insert ethnicity here) Fest.

--Jonathan Villa

Amana memories

GLENVIEW--Alan Solomon's article on the Amana Colonies ["Spilling the sauerbraten on Iowa's best-kept secret"; June 25] rekindled fond memories of my late grandparents, Irma and Bill Chadima, and their coordinated visits. You see, they used to treat us kids in groups (I am from a family of 13 children born and raised in Cedar Rapids) on short trips to The Amanas for old-fashioned, family-style dinners at the Ox Yoke Inn, the Ronneburg, the Brick Haus, the Colony Inn and Bill Zuber's restaurants.

Of course, we baseball-loving boys were particularly thrilled to dine at Bill Zuber's in Homestead, as Grandma and Bill had informed us Mr. Zuber pitched in the major leagues from 1936 to 1947. In fact, they arranged for us to meet Mr. Zuber face-to-face. "Eat all of your vegetables," was Zuber's simple advice on how we, too, might someday make the big leagues.

--Chip Marshall

Mormon view

OREM, Utah--[Re: "This was the place: In Nauvoo, you don't have to be a pilgrim"; July 3] It's common for members of the LDS Church to feel rather maligned by the rest of the world, so it's touching when a journalist like Marshall Berdan takes the time to stop, listen, notice some goodness and write a fair article. After all, the LDS Church is sincere in its efforts to be a force for good in the world--not only in the lives of its members, but in its anonymous offering of millions of dollars of aid for humanitarian needs.